Saturday, July 20, 2024

Messy Nessy’s Cabinet

Cabinet de curiosités 19, rue de Biévre, 75005
 I meant to go the day Messy Nessy’s new shop, Cabinet opened in April, at 19, rue de Bièvre, 75005. On Wednesday the 86 bus threw us off at Mutualité Maubert. I checked Google..Cabinet is a 3 minute walk 🏃‍♀️ from bd. Saint Germain. Allons-y! 

Inside view of Cabinet shop
 I’m not sure what I was expecting but this was so much more…


Tiny parc on rue de Biévre
And there is a serene pocket park exactly across the street.
Daniel Mitterand parc sign
In honor of Danielle Mitterrand, a resistance fighter and wife of President François Mitterrand.You could easily take a pique-nique 🧺 perhaps..

A collection of objects and biblots
Back inside Messy’s shop, you feel like you’ve been invited into someone’s private home museum.

Messy Nessy A.K.A. Vanessa Grall has an artist, Maissa Toulet on Ile de Ré making these imaginative boxes. 

What exactly is a cabinet of curiosities? Idiosyncratic collections of objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geologyethnographyarchaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings), and antiquities. Thank you Wikipedia.

Another artist puts together collections of Hemingway’s vintage fishing fly tackles. Memories of my dad letting me bait his hooks on the S. Jersey coast when I was 5, 6 years old. Did you ever do that?

Many treasures are scattered amidst your favorite Paris books 📕 Elaine Sciolino’s The Seine. Placed appropriately next to Messy Nessy’s special Eau de Seine perfume (best left unopened 🛑). An affordable luxury (20€).
Hand-collected by none other than Madame Messy Nessy herself from the Seine waters near l’Île Saint Louis! What a fabulous gift 🎁 souvenir to take home, next to ripping up a pavé cobblestone from Paris’ streets for bookends (but so much heavier).

Vanessa is usually in the shop during the week - friendly and approachable
. For ‘Nessy’s complete background story go here
Ever wished you had an assistant to research unique travel plans for you. To recommend the best local secrets? Nessy is a concierge as well if you have a special trip or secret dream place in mind🤔 And there is a KEY holders 🔑club!
3 Dont Be A tourist books by Vanessa Grall
Do you know her 3 books of travel secrets? Don’t Be A Tourist in Paris, London & NewYork.
Grouping of books and biblots
Another collection of somewhat related items to browse.
Is everything for sale? I think so. Ask the concierge ☺️
Carmontelle portrait of a lady
A place to sit and relax r
eminded me of this Louis Carmontelle painting. Vanessa’s taste runs to 17th & 18th century brocante. A cup ☕️ of thé vert would be nice…
Miniature watercolor paint set from England
Almost forgot! Tiny watercolor handmade paint set from Lilian May of the UK.
Paris paper souvenirs
A box of miscellaneous Paris trash put together by Vanessa. I’ll take it!
17th century hand fans
U.S. heat wave 🥵 has caught up with Paris for a day or two.  Where is my Marie-Antoinette hand fan? I hope you enjoyed this visit to Messy Nessy’s Cabinet. It’s like some other Paris shops but more fun, more relaxing in my opinion.
Paris pique-nique letter art on Etsy
I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every
month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. 
Sign up to receive whimsical treasures in your mail.
Thanks for reading PB ❤️
☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much!  Bon Week-End PBers🤸🏾‍♀️


25 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:02 AM

    Seine water! Ha!

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    1. Anonymous9:29 AM

      EAU DE SEINE is nothing to sniff at. It’s something we all need and didn’t know it till now! 🌊 CAROLG

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:27 AM

    And just like that … right into my mailbox!!! Wish I would have known about the Seine water when I was there!!!! Thanks for taking us with you! You have such amazing adventures and you’re so generous to share!! Love ya! Nicole from 🇨🇦

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  3. Bonnie L9:59 AM

    Definitely a ‘must visit’ shop! What an enterprising young woman - brava!

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    1. Anonymous10:17 AM

      Yes very entrepreneurial 👍 So many balls ⚽️ in the air.

      Delete
  4. Dee Ann10:04 AM

    I follow Messy Nessy on IG and knew she was opening a store. Carol, thanks for taking us on a tour of she shop. So special.

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    1. Anonymous10:06 AM

      Ah…at last we have connected 👏👍🤸‍♂️

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:19 AM

    Those cabinets are fun. What a fun shop! Lynne

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  6. Dear Carol,
    I love BOTH you and Mesy Nessy and enjoy your posts.
    Thanks for making me aware of thi charming little shop - will seek it out on next viiist to Paris.
    Mike Westra

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    1. Anonymous11:17 AM

      Thanks Mike 🥰 CABINET is well worth a visit 👏 CAROLG

      Delete
  7. I read Elaine Sciolino’s book about the Seine. It’s. Fascinating history. I loved her other book too, The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs. Love all your adventures around Paris. Makes me think I live there too!

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    1. Anonymous1:42 PM

      Beth: Get ready for Elaine’s next big adventure - Le Louvre! xxxCAROLG

      Delete
  8. Anonymous1:32 PM

    You did a better job describing (and photographing) M.N.’s new shop than she did! Jeanette sclar

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    1. Anonymous1:41 PM

      Oh No Jeanette! You never cease to surprise me xxxCAROLG

      Delete
  9. Anonymous3:20 PM

    Great you met Nessy! Her shop is so fun and a great place for ppl to find some of your fabulous watercolors in my opinion. Brooke

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  10. Love Messy Nessy posts!!

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  11. Cute little shop and fun to read about Nessy.

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  12. What a delightful sounding shop and day! If I ever get back to Paris, you know this will be on my list!

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  13. Anonymous11:09 PM

    Eau de Seine sounds a little frightening! ?

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    1. Anonymous1:48 AM

      “The Seine is a great place to have a crisis, since it clearly embodies the strength and the uncertainty, the beauty and the challenge of Paris itself.” – James Baldwin

      The Seine river flows through the heart of the northern region of France, including Paris, bringing life, business, and recreation to the city alongside an overflow of stories and events. It’s Paris’ ancient highway of activity with a fascinating history. It’s been the source of inspiration for so many artists, writers and poets. And so when I decided to open a shop a stone’s throw from the Seine, I thought about how to create my personal ode to the iconic river. And the idea for Eau de Seine was born!

      It seemed so simple and yet it hadn’t been done before. On a warm spring day, I headed down to the riverbanks with a pitcher and scooped up my first ever batch of Seine water. We filtered it a few times with a coffee filter (although mind you, it was surprisingly clear before we did that) and it certainly had no nefarious odour to it – but of course, it’s not for consumption! It’s a novelty for the good-humoured, a souvenir that’s packs a little more punch than a plastic Eiffel Tower and a curious bookshelf keepsake for the Paris dreamer. Come find it exclusively in store at Messy Nessy’s Cabinet in Paris.“

      Delete
  14. Anonymous1:42 AM

    I’m so impressed that you can do two languages and find all kinds of cool and unusual things to do in another country/language! 🏆🥇🎖️🥇🏆
    no matter what! www.corneliaemery.com

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    1. Anonymous2:00 AM

      I wish I had made the effort to become fluent..choices, choices.
      Doing fun stuff? Thanks to posters in the Metro + a curious mind I find many ways to avoid doing housework 🪣 🧼 CAROLG

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  15. What a cute shop!

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  16. I would go fishing with my dad at a lake in upstate New York. He would help me bait the hooks with worms! Thanks for the memory!!!

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  17. Anonymous11:39 PM

    Is that a real taxidermied duckling? Truly I a palce I would want to visit

    ReplyDelete

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